CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – Penn State Lehigh Valley will hold its annual commencement ceremony at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 4, at Stabler Arena in Bethlehem, Pa. The campus will award associate and bachelor's degrees to roughly 65 local students. The featured speaker for the event is Jeffrey Tambor, Emmy-nominated film and television actor. Commencement is a ticketed event. For more information, contact 610-285-5067.
Jeffrey Tambor has earned deep respect, as well as multiple Emmy Award nominations, for being one of the most versatile and accomplished character actors in film and television. Tambor's roles in such popular programs as "The Larry Sanders Show," "Arrested Development" and "The Hangover" reveal his unique comedic gifts, while his roles in films such as "And Justice for All" and "Meet Joe Black" display the depth of his dramatic sensibilities.
Tambor attended San Francisco State University where he received a bachelor of arts degree in drama in 1965. He then went to Wayne State University, earning an master of fine arts in 1969. He was studying for his doctorate when he left in 1970 for a role in "Richard II" with Richard Chamberlain at the Seattle Repertory Theater.
From 1992 to 1998, Tambor had one of television's most memorable roles as Hank Kingsley, the self-centered sidekick to talk show host Larry Sanders, on HBO’s critically acclaimed "The Larry Sanders Show." He went on to star for three seasons in the hilarious Emmy Award-winning Fox sitcom "Arrested Development" as twin brothers George Bluth Sr. and Oscar Bluth.
A seasoned performer, Tambor's credits also include appearances on such classic shows as "Taxi," "Barney Miller," "Starsky and Hutch," "Kojak," "L.A. Law," "M*A*S*H," "Hill Street Blues" and "Three's Company." The latter led to a series-regular spot on its spin-off, "The Ropers."
Tambor recently appeared in "Mr. Popper’s Penguins," "Flypaper," "Paul" and "Win Win." He has appeared in the two "Hellboy" films, as well as "The Invention of Lying," "There’s Something About Mary," "City Slickers," "Miss Congeniality," "Dreamchasers," "Mr. Mom," "Brenda Starr," "Radioland Murders," "Doctor Dolittle" and "Pollock." For the feature adaptation of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," he played the Mayor of Whoville.
Tambor lent his distinctive voice to the animated films "Tangled" and "Monsters vs. Aliens," as well as the upcoming "Clockwork Girl." Additionally, he was the voice of King Neptune in "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie." In 2005, he returned to Broadway as George Aaronow in David Mamet’s "Glengarry Glen Ross," which won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play and a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance.
Tambor has recently finished filming the features "Untitled Phil Spector Biopic," opposite Al Pacino and Helen Mirren, and "For the Love of Money" with Edward Furlong. He will next be seen on the small screen in the NBC-TV comedy "Next Caller Please." Tambor will also lend his voice to a Disney animated film called "Cinder Biter."
Tambor has been accorded numerous honors for his professional work, including six Emmy nominations and two Screen Actors Guild Awards, as well as a Television Critics Association Award nomination for Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Comedy Series.
For more information, contact University Relations at 610-285-5067 or email aag18@psu.edu.